The York University Lions men's basketball team defeated the OUA East division-rival Queen's Gaels 76-63 on Saturday (Jan. 17) at the Tait McKenzie Centre.
 
The home team dominated the first quarter at 20-9. However, the Gaels caught up before halftime by a thin margin at 30-28. The Lions reorganized themselves and managed to preserve their lead at the third quarter at 50-45. The fourth quarter was all about the Lions as they marked a crucial 76-63 victory.
 
The win moved the Lions back over .500 on the year at 6-5, and they continue to hold down second place in the OUA East. The Gaels fell to 3-7 with the loss and sit tied with the Toronto Varsity Blues at the bottom.
 
Phillip Cunningham-Gillen (Hamilton, Ont.) scored the opener with a three-pointer. The Gaels followed it up with an impressive passing play by Tanner Graham and an alley-oop finish by Greg Faulkner.
 
Nick Tufegdzich (Tecumseh, Ont.) and Richard Iheadindu (Brampton, Ont.) contributed steals as the Lions pressured the Gaels with their fast breaks. On one occasion, Tufegdzich burst forward and finished with a two-handed slam dunk.
 
The second quarter was slower for the hosts as the Gaels increased their defensive pressure. Halfway through the quarter, the Lions still found themselves stuck at 20-15.
 
Tufegdzich failed several attempts on shooting, but responded with a successful three-point shot to maintain the team's lead. The Gaels managed to tighten the gap to only a two-point deficit at halftime.
 
Tufegdzich impressed again in the second half, opening the third quarter with a slam dunk on a pass by Iheadindu.
 
Rookie guard Gene Spagnuolo (Maple, Ont.) entered the game from the bench and delivered a brilliant performance. Spagnuolo attempted a successful lay-up and was fouled for an and-one, and converted the free throw. He finished with nine points and two rebounds.
 
Another reserve who impressed was Tristan Newman (Maple, Ont.), who opened the fourth quarter with a well-taken long shot for three points. At 59-51, Newman intercepted pass from half-court and made a run towards the basket. As he leapt for the dunk, Cy Samuels fouled him from behind. Newman converted both free throws.
 
Tufegdzich was the star of the match, achieving a double-double with a game-high of 28 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and one block. For the Gaels, Greg Faulkner scored 20 points and added five rebounds and two assists.
 
The Lions will face the No. 3 nationally-ranked Ryerson Rams, to whom they lost 89-51 in the reverse fixture earlier this week. The match will be played on Friday (Jan. 23) at the Tait McKenzie Centre beginning at 8pm.